How to Play Poker

Poker is a card game that can be played by 2 to 10 players. There are variations in this game such as Draw Poker, Stud Poker and Community Card Poker. The commonly played poker game is Draw Poker. Let us focus on Draw Poker.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Understand the various jargons associated with poker like bluff, aggressive play, conservative play, action and tell.

2. Keep the 'token bet' in the pot. It could range from few cents to many dollars. Decide the amount before beginning the game.

3. Distribute 5 playing cards among each player. The dealer has to start from left to right while distributing the face down cards. One card is given to all players. Give second card in second round and so on. Place the remaining deck of cards in the center of the table.

4. Pick up the distributed cards. Make a bet. The first player to the left of the dealer starts betting. Next player to bet would be again to the left of the first player and so on. The dealer (if playing) would be the last to bet.

5. Choose the option for the type of betting. It can be done in three ways depending upon the game 'see, raise or fold'. In 'see' option, the present player has to match the bet of the previous player. 'Raise' means that you raise the amount of bet. In 'fold', you choose to pack up instead of betting on bad cards. Or else opt for 'check'. Here the player chooses not to bet. It can be made only when any player has not betted in that particular round.

6. Note that you can 'Open' the betting if no one has betted money until your turn comes in the play round. Discard the cards you want to change. Pick up another card. The players can exchange at the most three playing cards from the deck. This step is optional for the players. The cards should be face down and no player except you should see your cards. Begin the betting for the next round.

7. Remember that maximum of three rounds of betting is generally allowed in casinos. At the end of the round, each player shows his or her cards. The player with highest hand is the winner and takes away the pot.

8. Begin another round of game by repeating the steps1 to step7.

Tips & Warnings

• Take care that your opponents do not get any hint how good or bad your cards are. The main trick is to bluff intelligently and make everyone bet more.